CHICAGO, IL (August 17, 2015) – The Karam Foundation Team is devastated by the aerial attack on an open marketplace in Douma on Sunday, August 16, 2015 which left over 100 civilians killed and hundreds more wounded. We demand that the international community take immediate steps to stop all aerial attacks by the Assad regime on innocent civilians. All violence against Syrian civilians must end.

One of the most difficult jobs we have as a humanitarian organization is to continue working on providing aid to thousands of Syrian families while these same people are being indiscriminately attacked. Why invest in sustainable businesses if crowds are bombed while shopping at the market? And why fund a school if children’s lives are tragically ended in a moment by a barrel bomb? These are questions you simply cannot ask as a humanitarian or as a human being. Our job is to continue fighting for the lives we can impact — but what is the world’s job?

A No Fly Zone over Syria would have saved the lives of over 100 people in Douma yesterday. It would have saved the lives of thousands of people since 2011. How many more Syrians will be killed before they are granted the universal right of protection?

The time to act is now. Support the Syrian people's right to live and protect their children. Support a No Fly Zone for Syria.

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At Karam Foundation, we serve thousands of Syrian families across the country, providing them with aid that matters: Smart Aid. We believe that living in freedom and dignity is the right of every human being on the planet.